Well, we bit the bullet near the end of last year and "retired" the VT, replacing it with a Mitsubishi NP Pajero diesel auto GLX.

We're the second owners, got it at about 320k km. High for some, but it's just a number to us, plus the diesel is known to be a good engine for many more km than this. The thing we've noticed right from our first drive was that it didn't feel as large/heavy to drive as we thought it would be, that bonnet feels really short - and makes Ruby Scoo's bonnet feel like it's as long as a Cadillac's bonnet!

It's got some goodies with it - dual battery, multiple cig sockets in the rear cargo area, uhf radio, driving lights (I was going to swap these for the Narvas from the VT but ditched that idea when I used them - awesome light output for a small unit!), cargo barrier and a hayman reece style towbar - minus the hitch. So we got ourselves a heavy duty one of these for the job.

Towing is awesome with this unit, and I love that it's all independently "suspensioned" - I can still use a very similar driving technique to that of the Subaru when we do light offroading. For now it's the daily bus and won't really be used for any serious offroading like what we get up to in Ruby Scoo... but that day is drawing closer - maybe!

Anyone reading this that has a diesel NM/NP Pajero you MUST check the top timing chain guide - we left ours way too long after initial purchase to replace. When we did (last weekend), this is what we found to my horror - very glad I got on to this!!

^ If that did let go, there goes the timing chain (50/50 chance that's not worth taking!) and our engine. This is the updated part that apparently won't have the same issue (~$30 on partsouq.com):

When fitting the new unit the timing chain tensioner must be removed and reset. A very simple operation and I quite like the simplicity of the setup too.

While in there I also adjusted all the tappet clearances - they were way out of spec! I can't say how much better it runs as it feels super torquey and quick once boost kicks in - in comparison to the 1.8L Brumby!

That's about it for now. The only real things to sort out is a leak on the front output shaft on the transfer case, a replacement second battery (the one that came with the car fried itself just before xmas - lucky it didn't explode) and slowly adding actual undercarriage protection. I've also got an auxiliary drop tank to fit - just gathering a couple of parts that will be required for this. Once it's done we'll have 171L (90L factory, 81L auxiliary) capacity for a fraction of the cost for a new unit to be fitted.

Towing with this is a dream too. I'm yet to do it with a car on the tandem trailer, but after moving some furniture on the tandem trailer I can't wait to see how it pulls up hills with the extra weight - I reckon it's better than the VT towing by a long shot! Not as good on fuel but you can't have it all either!